It really is that time of year… time to look beyond the horizon of Christmas, and put the bones on next year’s plan.
For people who like to see a plan (visual people), and those of you who like a structure (in case you hadn’t guessed, that’s me too!), computer based diary management systems can feel like our worst enemy.

a. Take a year planner… remember the objective; to optimise your “time over target”.

d. Next, put in your “Hotel days” (monthly or quarterly), for pure forward planning.

e. Next your committed days… those days on which you already have things booked in (for me, that’s conferences, seminars, events, etc).

f. Leaving you with your Focus Time… the rest of the year to achieve your goals, and concentrate on your Key Result Areas. That gives you a clue as to your performance standards and targets per day for the year.

g. Make any adjustments to ensure there is balance… too much Strategy time too close together, can lead to paralysis; too much focus time without a break will lead to burn out; and too much time off will lead to … well do I really need to spell that out?

A simple structure? Yes.
Common sense? Yes.
Common practice?

I’m sure we all agree, that one of the critical elements in building a successful business is laying the foundations. And that goes whether you have a large team, a large organisation, or as a small firm or business, or even as an individual setting out to achieve excellence in any field.

All the fancy marketing tools, all the great products, all the great service, must flow from having the foundations in place. Decision-making, strategic direction, marketing strategy, branding, even day-to-day operational decisions, become so much easier once you have the foundations right.

And it’s the strength of these Foundations that will determine the sustainability of your success.

It all starts with having clear Values and a clear Mission.
- an underpinning Philosophy of how you do business, everyday.

There’s been more written about Mission Statements than most other business tools, and in a way that’s a big shame, because there is a tendency to switch off when the term is used. Many people tell me that they want to set out a Mission, but haven’t yet done it. And many more, have pushed their mission so far into the future that it has no meaning for TODAY.

Which is why I recommend putting your Mission into the present tense.

You see, when big institutions say things like “our mission is to become the number one bank for customer service” my first thought is Why “become”? Surely better to say: “Our Mission is to be …” or “Our Mission is being…”

Those who have done it in the compelling present tense, tell me how it has filled them with

• Positive energy… real physical energy
• Focus
• A real sense of Identity… particularly important for teams
• Commitment, and a desire to succeed
• excellence in performance. It's about being the BEST you can be, now... not just "trying" to be the best, sometime in the future.
• Motivation, a renewed zest for life and business, a passion for success, and genuine optimism
• Belief. It makes the dream feel possible!
• ...and you’ll immediately feel more successful, because the Mission feels relevant to today... now.

Here’s a tip to help you keep your opportunity-mindset, that positive focus, and high spirit which you need to achieve success:

1st September is one of my favourite days of the year... and for me has always held a particular significance. There's a keen sense of being back to a “normal” regime. This appears true to many people I’ve spoken to recently, perhaps because of the strong association with starting a new school year, or for many starting out in career or business life after school/ college/ university.

“Sorting out your pencil case” was the way one of my clients described it… like starting a new term… getting back to the “serious business”.

And it’s a time of year to maximise performance as this period between now and Christmas which is largely uncluttered by Monday holidays or any significant disruption to the pattern of life and business. Summer holidays are behind us, and Christmas is still far enough away that no one is yet thinking of it (I hope!). Although the October break does punctuate the run in for the rest of the year, somehow it feels like a solid period where we can be focused, build a new strong regime, be organised and go for those goals which remain for the rest of the year.

And this is not just about business performance. With it being still relatively calm weather-wise, and with the evenings still light, I see people out and about on fitness kicks and so on. It’s a time for doing those night-classes, starting up hobbies, and generally filling life with all the great stuff.

One of my sessions recently revolved around "getting back into it after the summer break", and I suggested a very specific method should be devised to help return to full steam, including revisiting your Values, Mission, Vision and Goals. You will have your own method of getting back to business, I'm sure, but if it doesn't include those elements, maybe it's worth making a few changes.

Since we are equating it to the start of a “new term”, why not draw up an outline timetable to ensure that these new, fresh goals and points of focus can be fitted into the week. Get organised to succeed. Don’t just let the feeling of new term whither on the vine and find you are back to the old drudgery within a couple of weeks.

And, when was the last time you freshened up your mindset? For those of you who use the VisualisACTION techniques, the start of the new “term” is a great time to freshen up those cards and the images associated with them. Change the backing track that’s running in your mind and you’ll change the way you perform, the results you get, and the success you achieve.

When it comes to making a change, and particularly when changing habits, there’s very little difference between what feels like a bit of a pain in the neck, and a shot in the arm!

Initially, both are an injection… of discipline to do something new, to make a change.

It’s how you see them that makes the difference.

If you view a new discipline as a shot in the arm, and injection of excitement, a challenge to rise to, you will build the change… create a new habit.
If you see it as a pain in the neck to do the new thing, chances are you won’t succeed.

Is it time to take that shot in the arm to inject new zest into life, business, career as we move into September?